European Ocean Biodiversity Information System

Samples were collected for a monitoring project of midlittoral rocky shores in Crete, in the framework of the NaGISA project (Natural Geography in Shore Areas, http://www.coml.org/projects/natural-geography-shore-areas-nagisa). The two sampling sites are characterised by a continuous hard bottom habitat with dense algal coverage and a moderate wave exposure and are not impacted by detectable anthropogenic activity. At each site, five random replicate units were collected from each depth of 1m, 5m, 10m, 15m and 20m by placing a plexiglas frame (25x25 cm) on the substrate and scraping the framed area completely. The samples were then collected with an underwater suction device working with pressure from a diving bottle. Samples were washed through a 0.5 mm mesh sieve and fixed in 99% ethanol. In the laboratory, all samples were identified to the most precise taxonomic level possible, using the most recent literature for the taxon.